Is there less quality content than before?

[Agent HK47]

I would say yes and no. I feel like there is simply more games being released lately, which increases the amount of both good and bad games released. I might be wrong though, who knows.

 

[215303j]

Not sure why you think a non-monthly game will never be more than a hobby. Plenty of devs are on a 2-3 month release schedule, some who are making a serious income.

Well, if the average update means 1 or maybe 2 hours of gameplay, then waiting one month for an update is already quite long.
People get distracted in the meantime and forget most about your game / story.

It regularly happens to me that I'm looking at one of the "top ten girls" threads in the general forum, and think "hmm, I think I played that game", but have no clue anymore what it was about. I suppose that does say something about that game as well but still...

The longer between updates, the harder it becomes to stay invested in a certain story.

I really understand that many devs can't do monthly updates due to personal circumstances, but I do think it makes sense from a business perspective.

As for quantity vs. quality, maybe the conclusion could be that a part-time dev should lower the bar a little bit in order to have more content or shorter periods between updates.

I think a lot of devs are perfectionists, who want to tell their story in the best possible manner. But maybe that's not absolutely necessary for business success.

 

[gamersglory]

I would say yes and no. I feel like there is simply more games being released lately, which increases the amount of both good and bad games released. I might be wrong though, who knows.

This is the exact problem. Along with the Big Brother Bandwagon mentioned before which includes poor quality games with horrendous English or games that completely lack any perceivable story. If you just need fapping material just get it from porn. If you want a good story to go with it that's what these games should be for and If your someone looking to make big bucks this is not the hobby to get into.

 

[EnsenL]

Some low-effort cash grabs are going on, but it's like that for any hobby. The community is slowly growing I see. If you compare this with last year or the year before, there is so much more variety in the games coming out. New games that are being released constantly surprise me with cool innovative features. While some are more generic as well that's not a bad thing either.

The Cash-grabs are starting to die out as I see it aswell.

 

[Domiek]

Well, if the average update means 1 or maybe 2 hours of gameplay, then waiting one month for an update is already quite long.
People get distracted in the meantime and forget most about your game / story.

It regularly happens to me that I'm looking at one of the "top ten girls" threads in the general forum, and think "hmm, I think I played that game", but have no clue anymore what it was about. I suppose that does say something about that game as well but still...

The longer between updates, the harder it becomes to stay invested in a certain story.

I really understand that many devs can't do monthly updates due to personal circumstances, but I do think it makes sense from a business perspective.

As for quantity vs. quality, maybe the conclusion could be that a part-time dev should lower the bar a little bit in order to have more content or shorter periods between updates.

I think a lot of devs are perfectionists, who want to tell their story in the best possible manner. But maybe that's not absolutely necessary for business success.

Unless you spent some time developing these games, you will always be making conclusions from incomplete information.

Saying devs can't do monthly updates due to personal circumstances is like saying a midget can't become an NBA player due to personal circumstances.

Those 2 hours of gameplay may not be worth your time but it likely took 200 hours of the devs time to make. A new dev cranking out monthly quantity over developing quality will never get anywhere. They will be stuck making chump change and the community won't grow for the better for it.

In the long run, it's better for devs to take their time to develop the skills needed to elevate the quality of games in this community. Sure, monthly updates would be nice for the players but the community isn't dishing out the kind of money that supports these expectations. I for one am not going to quit my lucrative corporate job and alienate family for an unstable $700 a month that barely covers half my mortgage and could instantly disappear based on Patreons mood.

If I were to treat it like a business, then it would have to be a long term strategy. Slowly build up financial support and trust for my product over the next few years. Invest whatever I earn back into equipment and assets to speed up development. Eventually, if I'm ever able to make a living off this, then I can consider taking the incredible risk and going full time which would mean faster development cycles.

Btw, not trying to sound like I'm arguing or attacking you. This is a good discussion since naturally a player is only exposed to the product and may not be aware of all the factors involved in making a game.

 

[hameleona]

Well, if the average update means 1 or maybe 2 hours of gameplay, then waiting one month for an update is already quite long.
People get distracted in the meantime and forget most about your game / story.

It regularly happens to me that I'm looking at one of the "top ten girls" threads in the general forum, and think "hmm, I think I played that game", but have no clue anymore what it was about. I suppose that does say something about that game as well but still...

The longer between updates, the harder it becomes to stay invested in a certain story.

I really understand that many devs can't do monthly updates due to personal circumstances, but I do think it makes sense from a business perspective.

As for quantity vs. quality, maybe the conclusion could be that a part-time dev should lower the bar a little bit in order to have more content or shorter periods between updates.

I think a lot of devs are perfectionists, who want to tell their story in the best possible manner. But maybe that's not absolutely necessary for business success.

If they have a day job - it's not a business. It's just a hobby.
Most games that get monthly updates are made by teams, I think. Way easier to push out a lot of content that way. And if they have a well-planned game, they can always make a buffer content so that if shit happens (and it will - the guy making the renders gets sick, the writer will get writes block, the coder may need to re-vamp whole parts of the game or spend a week bug-hunt like crazy, because nobody is entirely certain where he fucked up, or your writer and artist will argue for days how a scene should look... ) you can stay on schedule with it. And even honest teams have delays.

 

[Joshua Tree]

If they have a day job - it's not a business. It's just a hobby.
Most games that get monthly updates are made by teams, I think. Way easier to push out a lot of content that way. And if they have a well-planned game, they can always make a buffer content so that if shit happens (and it will - the guy making the renders gets sick, the writer will get writes block, the coder may need to re-vamp whole parts of the game or spend a week bug-hunt like crazy, because nobody is entirely certain where he fucked up, or your writer and artist will argue for days how a scene should look... ) you can stay on schedule with it. And even honest teams have delays.

Or someone is just burning the candle in both ends. Resulting eventually in delays and possible abandoned games due to creator just wrecked him/herself.

 

[Rastafoo]

This question was asked several months ago but feels like it needs to be asked again. It seems to me that Patreon's content guidelines and the curious number of devs falling ill has created a dearth of top notch content every month. Which is not to say that there aren't some really skilled devs providing quality games but it feels like the sheer amount of high end content is noticebly less than even 6 months ago. I love this site and this style of erotica and hope this is just a brief downturn rather than a long term trend.
Does anyone else agree with this assessment? What can be done about this? I know there are other alternatives to Patreon but are any of them viable? If I was tech-savvy enough to create a game I would, but unfortunately that's not the case, so I have to settle on supporting others content financially and in spirit. I appreciate any feedback you may have. Thanks!

I have a couple big theories and points of information to share with you!

1) Patreon Incest Ban. We didn't feel the effects at first, but we certainly are now. The Creator of Lab Rats moved on to "Lab Rats Two" which has little to no incest content.

And Summertime Saga can now only refer to their characters as roommates. We've actually seen that Summertime Saga has lost 2K in revenue over the past month, as seen on the Graphteon Site.

Another example is "Daddys Goodnight Kiss" - which had some incredibly erotic daddy daughter simulation content. But the sequel title has no incest and even if it did, cannot market itself as an incest game.

Then there's Snow Daze - the ultimate patreon incest game. But since the ban, the sequel named "Tropical Daze" has been left on the backburner so the dev can focus on non-incest content.

And even just the FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY of losing their patreon has caused some people to jump ship. The artist for Insexual Awakening left the project, cutting the game short even though the dev planned for more. And now the dev is working on some Furry game to try and keep his audience or something.

TL : DR - We are now experiencing the results of the Patreon Incest Ban. The Devs finished up their games and moved on to different projects. Things are less bold, and more predictable because their passion is being blocked.

 

[Rastafoo]

This question was asked several months ago but feels like it needs to be asked again. It seems to me that Patreon's content guidelines and the curious number of devs falling ill has created a dearth of top notch content every month. Which is not to say that there aren't some really skilled devs providing quality games but it feels like the sheer amount of high end content is noticebly less than even 6 months ago. I love this site and this style of erotica and hope this is just a brief downturn rather than a long term trend.
Does anyone else agree with this assessment? What can be done about this? I know there are other alternatives to Patreon but are any of them viable? If I was tech-savvy enough to create a game I would, but unfortunately that's not the case, so I have to settle on supporting others content financially and in spirit. I appreciate any feedback you may have. Thanks!

My Second Theory - Is Focused on Problems with Developers.


Dlsite's Clymenia is the perfect example. Their games used to be revolutionary and innovative, doing things we never saw before. But have you played their most recent game? Its a total snore! Compare it to "Liz and the Tower Town" - and its like two completely different developers. Clymenia wants those Steam dollars. Wants those Kagura Games dollars. And now they've lost their heart and soul. Not to mention they delayed the release of their own game to please Kagura and piss off fans.

Sexyverse Games is another example. They've released like 4-5 Teen Titans games back to back, because they know it sells. And is it just me, or is their visual quality getting worse with every release? They want their shekels, so quality comes second.

Dlsite's Circle Acerola is another example. They want those Steam Dollars, so they've stopped innovating! Compare Imouto Misaki to Leanna Slice of Life. The latter has more content, but far less heart and soul. They keep producing the same game over and over again, all for those Steam dollars. Its very depressing to watch.

The Creator of NTRPG has spiraled into depression. He used to be working on NTRPG3 but he quit and began working on 4 instead. I feel bad for him honestly.

Then on a more broad scale, because everyone wants profits from Kagura Games, content is getting more vanilla and boring. Vanilla content CAN be incredible, but from Kagura Games, it never is. Even a hint of rape and Kagura tries to censor it.

TL : DR - Quality content is not as profitable as shitting out crappy games for normies to eat up.

 

[Rastafoo]

This question was asked several months ago but feels like it needs to be asked again. It seems to me that Patreon's content guidelines and the curious number of devs falling ill has created a dearth of top notch content every month. Which is not to say that there aren't some really skilled devs providing quality games but it feels like the sheer amount of high end content is noticebly less than even 6 months ago. I love this site and this style of erotica and hope this is just a brief downturn rather than a long term trend.
Does anyone else agree with this assessment? What can be done about this? I know there are other alternatives to Patreon but are any of them viable? If I was tech-savvy enough to create a game I would, but unfortunately that's not the case, so I have to settle on supporting others content financially and in spirit. I appreciate any feedback you may have. Thanks!

So altogether now.

You got translators having their patreons banned. You got developers having their fetishes banned. You got Steam/Kagura Games enforcing conformity. So everything goes downhill. Thankfully, SubscribeStar has opened up an "Adults Only Section" of their site. So hopefully, NSFW devs will move there soon!

You must be registered to see the links

 

[anne O'nymous]

I don't think any of the more well known devs release monthly.

And, at least from my point of view, it's why they are well known. Their games aren't those for which we see much, "it don't worth downloading this update, there's not even 10 minutes of content". Yes, we have to wait more longer, but we know that it will worth it and that we will have for our time, and our money for those who pledge.

 

[Joshua Tree]

And, at least from my point of view, it's why they are well known. Their games aren't those for which we see much, "it don't worth downloading this update, there's not even 10 minutes of content". Yes, we have to wait more longer, but we know that it will worth it and that we will have for our time, and our money for those who pledge.

Well, in that regard creators get caught between a rock and a hard place, because if they don't release regularly they start get flak for milking and abusing their supporters and what not. And when they do, people jump on the bandwagon you mentioned above. Most of these creators isn't full time creators spending several hours a day working on their game. It's for most parts a hobby that get some attention when they got time for it.

 

[Avaron1974]

Well, in that regard creators get caught between a rock and a hard place, because if they don't release regularly they start get flak for milking and abusing their supporters and what not.

I haven't seen people call out Philly for milking and he doesn't release monthly.

He's never released monthly.

In fact his advice to devs is to never release monthly.

 

[anne O'nymous]

I haven't seen people call out Philly for milking and he doesn't release monthly.

As far as I know, it's the same for HopesGaming and Nottravis. Could it be that the quality of the games have something to do with the amount of complains ?

 

[Joshua Tree]

I haven't seen people call out Philly for milking and he doesn't release monthly.

He's never released monthly.

In fact his advice to devs is to never release monthly.

It was more a reflection on the creators @anne O'nymous did refer to above. The ones that keep release regularly, but not very big, or content rich updates. Some creators get more leeway than others before the angry faces appear. Become a bit "animal farm" tendency over it.

 

[I'm Not Thea Lundgren!]

Hard to tell your cousin or niece that you're skipping their birthday because you're "Uh... busy with a project". It's not the type of hobby that the general society accepts or one you announce freely to your social groups.

My sister and my wife know that I create adult material, but I don't think anyone else in my social circle or family would understand. "It's just porn or you're wasting your time" is all I would hear, I can hear them now!

Content speed doesn't bother me as long as devs don't give deadlines. When they can't stick to them it makes them look unreliable and when it happens multiple times it can turn people off.

Most devs here are amateur at most and have full time jobs with families.

Relying on Patreon for income to pay the bills isn't the way to go, it could be taken away in a second. I know there is nothing that could make me leave my job and I know some devs feel the same so there are games that will have a longer wait period between updates.

The devs that I support don't give deadlines until they are about ready to release an update, having said that, they do give regular updates about their progress; which goes a long way in shutting up the naysayers.

I don't think any of the more well known devs release monthly.

Most of the best devs are a release when it's ready, I know a couple that fret about not being able to release monthly and have even gone as far as refunding patrons. They shouldn't be made to feel this way; if I support a dev, it's because I like their work and I want to show my support, I don't expect to get something every month!

As far as I know, it's the same for HopesGaming and Nottravis. Could it be that the quality of the games have something to do with the amount of complains ?

Definitely! Domiek is another dev whose quality has improved since going from monthly to when it's ready. Runey takes 2-3 months for each update.

Anyway, to answer the question that was originally asked; yes and no, yes there are still games being released every day that probably won't see v0.3. On the other hand, I don't think there is less quality in the games that are about today; it's just spread out a bit more, I could name ten developers that release quality work time after time.

 

[Avaron1974]

I know none of the games I play release monthly.

One of the games I enjoy is Offcuts and you're lucky to get 2 updates a year. My complain with Stencilbits was never slow release times it was giving deadlines he couldn't hit ... over and over again. That looks bad.

But, yeah, Notty, Philly, domiek, Cheeky, OMVN, Runey, Recreation now (cutest lil sister ever), Envixer, Perverteer and a few others are devs who's work i've followed for a while and release when it's ready.

Domiek busted his ass to try and get updates out quickly at one point and you could tell he wasn't happy with how things were going with his forum posts. Compare him then to him now and he's relaxed and having a laugh with it while parodying other games because he takes the time.

I don't like seeing devs work themselves to giving up.

Before I joined this site I didn't really chat to many devs but I found places to download from and I would play games that got pushed out monthly and a lot of them ended up burning the dev out and getting abandoned.

I'd rather any dev, good or bad, took their time and released something they were happy with than push out mediocrity just to say they released something.

 

[Domiek]

Thea Lundgren??? Don't forget that the quality of my shit posting has also improved. Wins all around!

Avaron1974 thanks! It wasn't that I was unhappy with how things were going monthly, it's that I was frustrated by stagnation. With a tight deadline you don't have much room to experiment and grow. I'd argue that no dev is truly happy with everything they put out but there is a difference between "this is good but could be better" vs "fuck, whatever, I don't have time to deal with this shit."

I remember one update I ended up using a vacation day to get off work to push out an update. Did 50 renders that day. Of course it was at 500 iterations (I do 3000 now) and looked like absolute garbage. That's what unsustainable deadlines do.

 

[おい！]

Thea Lundgren??? Don't forget that the quality of my shit posting has also improved. Wins all around!

 

[I'm Not Thea Lundgren!]

I know none of the games I play release monthly.

One of the games I enjoy is Offcuts and you're lucky to get 2 updates a year. My complain with Stencilbits was never slow release times it was giving deadlines he couldn't hit ... over and over again. That looks bad.

But, yeah, Notty, Philly, domiek, Cheeky, OMVN, Runey, Recreation now (cutest lil sister ever), Envixer, Perverteer and a few others are devs who's work i've followed for a while and release when it's ready.

Offcuts is great! I haven't started on the latest release yet, been too busy trying to master H5 and playing others that I support. I support all but two of those you listed. Ellie is the cutest, isn't she?

Thea Lundgren??? Don't forget that the quality of my shit posting has also improved. Wins all around!

It's gone through the roof! Don't forget to remind me next week!